#Review - Cage of Dreams by Rebecca Schaeffer #YA #FANTASY

Series: City of Nightmares # 2
Format: Hardcover, 368 pages
Release Date: September 26, 2023
Publisher: Clarion Books
Source: Library
Genre: Young Adult / Fantasy / Contemporary

In this thrilling sequel and conclusion to the City of Nightmares duology, which has been praised as “so much fun readers will stay up all night to finish it” (Kirkus Reviews, starred review), Ness is forced to make a twisted deal with the Nightmare Phantom—only to find herself embroiled in the explosive fallout of the agreement when a botched assassination attempt unleashes chaos into the city of Newham.

Nineteen-year-old Ness used to have a vehement terror of Nightmares—people who’d been turned into their worst fears while they slept. Through two assassination attempts, an explosion, and a Faustian bargain with a dream demon, she’s finally working through those fears.

Unfortunately, Nightmares aren’t the only dangerous thing in Newham. Working at a speakeasy where gunfights are common and death is a regular occurrence, Ness is forced to reckon with all her other fears—including her fear of mortality. It’s easy to die in Newham, but it’s hard to live.

So when the Nightmare Phantom—the monster who turns people into Nightmares—shows up, asking her for another favor, she agrees, but only if he’ll turn her into a Nightmare. One of her own choosing, something bulletproof and strong and able to live without fear.

But when Ness’s attempt to fulfill the deal goes wrong, things start to spiral out of control. Now Ness is in the cross hairs of enemies old and new, and this time, she can’t run from her problems. If she wants to survive, she’s going to have to conquer the most difficult enemy of all: herself. 

Cage of Dreams, by Rebecca Schaeffer, is the second and final installment in the authors City of Nightmares duology. This is a story that takes place in a world not unlike the 1920's. Gotham meets Strange the Dreamer is the story about a cowardly girl named Ness who finds herself at the center of a criminal syndicate conspiracy, in the city of Newham, where crooked politicians and sinister cults reign and dreaming means waking up as your worst nightmare. Like the vampires and monstrous Nightmares, including a Pterodactyl, that roam Newham. 

Ness used to have a vehement terror of Nightmares—people who’d been turned into their worst fears while they slept. She watched as her sister turned into a nightmare spider and killed their father to protect her. She found herself living in small spaces to protect herself from others. Through two assassination attempts, an explosion on a boat, and a Faustian bargain with a dream demon who she set free from his cage of dreams, she’s finally working through those fears. Unfortunately, Nightmares aren’t the only dangerous thing in Newham. 

Working at a speakeasy where gunfights are common and death is a regular occurrence, Ness is forced to reckon with all her other fears—including her fear of mortality. It’s easy to die in Newham, but it’s hard to live. So when the Nightmare Phantom—the monster who turns people into Nightmares—shows up, asking her for another favor, she agrees, but only if he’ll turn her into a Nightmare. One of her own choosing, something bulletproof and strong and able to live without fear. 

But when Ness’s attempt to fulfill the deal goes wrong, things start to spiral out of control. She's targeted by the Mayor as well as the Director of the Friends of the Restful Friends. Now Ness is in the cross hairs of enemies old and new, and this time, she can’t run from her problems. If she wants to survive, she’s going to have to conquer the most difficult enemy of all: herself. This time her only friends are Cy, the boy who was made into a vampire, and Priya, the girl who loves chaos and hoped to become a member of the Nightmare Defense team before she learned how corrupt and awful they were. 

*Thoughts* I love Priya. I don't think anything scares this girl, and that include Ness who is someone who has trouble following her everywhere she goes. Ness the Mess has Cy to thank for her current living conditions. Even though it is a closet, she wouldn't have it any other way. I think Cy is under used for the most part. He is a freaking vampire who is nearly indestructible! I do love the fact that Ness kind of comes out of her shell towards the end, and makes some interesting choices about her future, and her future with Cy. The final chapter of this book is interesting in that the author could spin off Priya and give her some adventures of her own.

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